The division was first proclaimed in 1949 and is named after Charles Kingston, Premier of South Australia (1893–1899), elected to the first House of Representatives in 1901 and the first Federal member of the Division of Adelaide in 1903. The Liberals and Labor have both alternated for long spells in the seat. It has tended to elect an MP from the governing party of the day, having elected only four opposition MPs. Notably, every sitting member in the electorate's history has been defeated at the polls—none have retired or resigned.[1]

The redistribution before the 2013 election removed Kingston's rural areas with the transfer of around 6,500 voters in McLaren Vale and Willunga to Mayo, increasing Labor's margin by half a percent. This substantially reduced the area covered by the electorate, down from 377 to 171 square kilometres, almost the same as 2001 boundaries. The previous larger boundaries were used from 2010 to 2004 and 1998 to 1993. Boundaries from 1990 to 1984 were similar to the current but without the southern coastal strip.

Kingston has been represented by Labor MP Amanda Rishworth since the 2007 election where she won with a 54.4 percent two-party vote from a 4.5 percent two-party swing. Going into the 2010 election, it was the most marginal Labor seat in South Australia. However, Rishworth technically made it a safe Labor seat by winning 64 percent of the two-party vote, the strongest result of any party in Kingston's history. At the 2013 election, Rishworth won 59.7 percent of the two-party vote, the second strongest result of any party in Kingston's history. Kingston is the second-safest Labor seat in South Australia.